1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to image processing and in particular to a technique for locating small objects in a given field of view.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Encompassed within two relevant categories of prior art are centroiding techniques on one hand and image-analysis techniques on the other.
Although centroiding is a well-known mathematical operation which has been extensively used in imaging-tracker systems, such use has typically been limited to aim-point updating. That is, centroiding has ordinarily been utilized only for precision offset-analysis in which the centroid of an isolated image of a target whose location has already otherwise been generally ascertained is computed and positionally compared with the centroid of a reference image. Centroiding has not typically been employed to analyze entire scenes for the initial locating of targets of interest.
Furthermore, those prior-art procedures which have in fact been used for composite-scene analysis have generally consisted of cumbersome routines not readily adaptable for locating small objects in a given field of view. Although considerable effort has been expended in diverse attempts to achieve an efficient, small-target-location capability, the prior efforts have failed to produce an image-analysis scheme of this nature which is not only practical but also fully effective in a real-time environment with respect to a wide variety of objects and image conditions.